Fataga

This is being back-blipped from a day less than a year into the future when it's amazing to think how so much and also how so little has changed.

The boys went to take their rented bikes back, incurring a considerable surcharge for the damage they'd inflicted on their crashes. It never occurred to me to take out insurance. Roam was very sore with having taken so much skin from his back and side. I had my first experience of this new Covid world when I went to the chemist to try to procure some second-skin type product and got shouted at in Spanish by the woman at the counter. It took me a while to understand that she was telling me to stay behind the line that had been taped to the floor. I saw it but hadn't realised what it was about. We were all so naive back then.

I took the last opportunity for a cycle, heading up the well-travelled road to San Bartolomé and then turning south to Fataga, looking for some places for Roam to fly his drone. In the end, we settled at this spot and he took some great footage of the hairpins from above. This was my last climb of the trip. Where the road surfaces are like this, it's amongst the best cycling I've done anywhere. Unfortunately, it's not always as good as this. When the roads are bad here, they can be really bad - just like they're becoming at home after this winter of lots of rain and snow.

PS Some of Roam's drone shots can be seen here.